


Making Progress

by Baroness_Blixen



Category: The X-Files
Genre: A bit of angst maybe, Episode: s06e15 Arcadia, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-16 05:22:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14157693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baroness_Blixen/pseuds/Baroness_Blixen
Summary: Takes place during "Arcadia": Scully gets up one night to give Mulder a blanket and she catches Mulder talking to Fowley.





	Making Progress

Scully can’t sleep. It’s not because her skin tingles after her face mask. It’s not even because of her strange, somewhat sterile surroundings. No, it’s all because of Mulder. He’s not in the room, but his presence lingers on. Just like it always does. Scully turns, tosses and then gives up. He took a pillow with him, but he forgot the blanket. Whether he did it deliberately, or simply didn’t think of it, she doesn’t question. No matter how irritated she may be with him, she doesn’t want him to be cold. Even now, so many months later, she sleeps with more than one blanket herself. The fear of cold now ingrained in her bones. She doesn’t know how Mulder feels about it; one of the million things they haven’t talked about after Antarctica. She doubts they ever will. But she knows she can’t let him shiver and freeze down there on the couch, no matter what.

The various state-of-the-art appliances scattered throughout the house buzz and fuss as Scully steps outside the bedroom. She descends the stairs silently, uncertain if Mulder is still awake. She can hear the TV in the living room, sees the blue flickering of the screen before she reaches the last step. There’s the distinct noise of a laugh track; not Mulder’s usual choice of program. But then she hears his voice and stops. It sounds low, a soft murmur. Her lips curl into a small smile; he’d probably deny it, but Mulder talks to himself a lot. She’s caught him here and there, just conversing with himself. She starts moving again, no longer feeling unsure. That is until she hears him utter that name. That one name that makes her stop, makes her breath catch.

Diana.

Scully considers dropping the blanket here and now and just going back upstairs. She doesn’t, though. Her feet remain where they are, still and firm. She listens more closely, wishes the TV wasn’t so loud. In her curiosity she takes a step forward; she can peek around the corner now, see him. There’s no relief when Scully realizes Mulder is not talking to himself after all. His phone is pressed to his ear, his head slightly tilted. If she were to venture a guess she’d say he looks tired. These days, though, she is not sure she knows Mulder, the real him, and so she tries to swallow the thought, her own ideas of him.

“No, Diana. That was all you.” Mulder’s voice picks up, is louder now over the fake laughter on the screen. “No, I did not. Not once.” If only Scully could hear Diana’s side of the conversation. Mulder is quiet, appears to listen. He sighs once, runs his hand over his face.

“Scully is my partner, Diana.” Scully stands up straight, takes her lower lip between her teeth, worrying it. She should not be here, should not be listening in on this private conversation. But why can’t she leave?

“She’s my partner in every way that counts. I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else.” If only they could do this differently. If only Mulder would tell her these words face to face. Say them to her and not to Diana. Then she remembers. As if she ever could forget that day in the hallway, before everything went dark, before the cold settled over and inside of her. The words are different ones this time, but the meaning is not lost on her, remains the same. Mulder’s speech about her making him a whole person and their almost-but-not-quite kiss. Now him telling Diana he wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else. But what about the months in between? All the uncertainties? Or Mulder saying she’s making it personal. That one has left a scar.

“You need to stop calling me.” The softness in Mulder’s tone surprises her. “No, Diana. I mean it. There’s no… that is not the future I want. I’m with Scully. I’m with her in whatever way she’ll have me.” Scully can no longer listen. The blanket still in her arms, she turns around. She should not have eavesdropped on Mulder and Diana. In her haste to get upstairs, she stubs her toes against the staircase and curses - loudly.

“Scully?” She doesn’t dare turn to him. There is no excuse for what she’s done. “Are you all right?” He’s right behind her in an instant, warm and solid. His hand lands on her shoulder and she startles. “What happened?”

“Stubbed my toe.”

“Let me look.”

“Mulder, I’m- ” The ‘fine’ doesn’t come. Instead she turns to face him. There’s amusement written all over his face; he’s the clumsy one, not her. If only he knew what she’s just done, what she’s heard. He would not be standing here smiling at her.

“May I look?” He asks her and she nods. They walk into the living room and sit down on the couch. Mulder takes his phone, now dead and black, and puts it on the coffee table. Scully wonders if he just hung up or gave Diana a rushed goodbye. Before her thoughts can go further, Mulder has taken her foot into his hands. They’re so warm, so strong and soft that she has to bite her lip to stop herself from moaning.

“Does it hurt?” She only shakes her head, because she doesn’t trust her voice right now. “Good. Why aren’t you sleeping?” Scully points at the blanket. “You came down to bring me a blanket?” His hand stills on her foot and she looks at him.

“I didn’t want you to be cold.” In his eyes she sees gratitude and something darker, deeper. This time she allows herself to guess, to let herself see Mulder the way she knows him.

“Well…” he says, but trails off with a soft laugh. Scully can only imagine what innuendo the rest of this thought entails. He is not going to tell her. Just like she is not going to tell him that she was here and that she heard him talk to Diana. “Now I won’t be cold. Thank you, Scully.” His eyes stay on hers for a moment and blink a few times.

“Get some sleep, Mulder. We have a case to solve.” He nods and their eyes break contact.

“Good night, Scully.”

“Good night.” When she gets to her bedroom, she stops, waits for something she can’t quite name. She leaves the door open a crack, just in case.


End file.
